Department for Transport

Shipping: Climate Change

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help define the fair share contribution for the global shipping sector as part of the International Maritime Organisation's work on tackling climate change.

Mr John Hayes: With greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping expected to grow as others sectors act to reduce theirs, the UK Government is clear that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) should take further steps to reduce emissions and improve the energy efficiency of ships, in line with the long term goal set out in the Paris Agreement of keeping the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees. At the 69th session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, there was broad support from Member States and industry for proposals to define international shipping’s fair share of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UK strongly supports the establishing of a Working Group at the 70th session of the Committee (MEPC70) to discuss how the Organization should take this work forward and will play an active part in this group.

Ferries: Fares

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Consumer Council on UK ferry operators and their pricing structures.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with UK ferry operators on their pricing structures.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the level of charges by ferry companies to cross the Irish Sea.

Mr John Hayes: I have held no such recent discussions. The level of charges on ferries across the Irish Sea is a commercial matter for the companies concerned, subject to normal competition law.

Network Rail: Contracts

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2016 to Question 40374, what the estimated values are of Network Rail's costs referred to in that Answer by (a) costs incurred with the supplier, (b) installation and (c) operational costs for the (i) Cardiff and (ii) Romford Rail Operating Centre.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport does not hold this level of detail on Network Rail’s costs.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Timetables

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether under the terms of its franchise agreement Govia Thameslink Railway is required to consult stakeholders before introducing a change to the timetable for its services.

Paul Maynard: For planned timetable changes, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is required to consult stakeholders before introducing them. However, when – as is the case for the revised timetable which came into effect on Southern and Gatwick Express services on 11 July a revised timetable has been introduced to mitigate the impact of official and unofficial industrial action – no consultation is required. GTR has an overriding obligation to act in the overall interests of passengers and to take all reasonable measures to avoid or reduce the impact of any disruption.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Joseph Kony

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide assistance to the Ugandan government to support the capture of Joseph Kony in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK supported UN sanctions placed on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Joseph Kony and will consider imposing further sanctions on other members of the LRA. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) welcomed the International Criminal Court’s action in the case against LRA Commander, Dominic Ongwen and encourage the international community to work together to bring all perpetrators to justice.The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) was alarmed at the LRA’s increase in activities across eastern Central African Republic this year. Those attacks have involved looting, violence against civilians, destruction of property and abductions.  The African Union’s Regional Task Force remains the best tool the international community has to defeat the LRA and the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) welcomed the extension of the operation to May 2017. He urged the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) to work with the region to ensure there is no increase in LRA activity.The UK is working with UN Security Council partners on the MINUSCA (UN peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic) mandate renewal in which MINUSCA will be asked to enhance operational coordination and information sharing with the Regional Task Force.

Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide support to overseas students who convert to Christianity in the UK to ensure they are not persecuted for their religious beliefs when they return to their country of origin.

Alok Sharma: The UK is a staunch defender of the right to freedom of religion or belief internationally. We believe that societies where freedom of religion or belief is protected are fairer, more tolerant and better able to resist extremist ideologies.With this in mind, we actively lobby governments for changes to laws and practices that discriminate against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief.In many cases students have access to alumni networks, often supported or endorsed by the British Embassy, once they have returned to their country of origin. Such networks can offer moral and practical support in times of need.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Zimbabwean counterpart on (a) steps to improve democracy and (b) support for the domestic production of food in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government continues to stress the importance of political and governance reform and respect for human rights to the Government of Zimbabwe. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) discussed these issues with Zimbabwean Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 5 July. He also raised the economic situation and land reform policy, which have a direct impact on Zimbabwe’s agricultural capabilities. The UK’s Livelihoods and Food Security Programme is providing over 130,000 farmers with training in the application of new agricultural technologies and management practices in crop and livestock production, including promoting the production of bio-fortified food crops. The programme is working with the private sector to offer agricultural inputs and outputs services to smallholder farmers, as well as improving agri - businesses and smallholder farmer access to finance.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea in reducing conflict in border areas between those countries.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) gave on 29 June, to PQ 41027.

Angola: Yellow Fever

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Angola on the yellow fever epidemic and shortages of medical supplies.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: FCO officials have been in direct contact with the Angolan Government and Angolan Embassy in London on yellow fever. Although we are unable to provide direct assistance given the UK regulations around yellow fever supplies, the Department for International Development are directly funding Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and as its largest donor is providing £1.44 billion for 2016-2020. Gavi is supporting Angola’s response through the International Coordination Group’s (ICG) Revolving Fund. Angola has already received 7 million doses from the ICG to respond to the outbreak. We also provide central funding to the WHO, who have been running a vaccination campaign in Luanda province.

Angola: Human Rights

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Angola on freedom of human rights activists and organisations in Angola.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government continue to have concerns over the freedom of human rights activists and organisations in Angola. We followed the case of the 15+2 closely. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge) raised his concerns over the handling of the case and length of sentencing with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights during his visit to Luanda on 8 June. During the course of the trial, UK staff in Luanda discussed the promotion and development of human rights with the Angolan Minister of Justice and Human Rights; the Public Prosecutor; the Secretary of State for Human Rights; the Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the Minister for Presidential Affairs.

Burma: Rohingya

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Myanmar government on steps to prevent hate speech and incitement of violence against Rohingya people in that country.

Alok Sharma: This is an issue of serious concern in light of the extensive inter-communal violence of 2012 and the large-scale Buddhist nationalist protests seen across Rakhine at the start of July this year. The British Government has repeatedly raised our concerns with the Burmese Government at the highest levels, and will continue to do so. The former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this a number of times, including in July 2015 last year during his visit to Burma, when he also visited Rakhine. We are encouraged to see that the new Burmese Government has started to take real steps to try to defuse tensions in Rakhine while making progress for the Rohingya, including through forming a cross-Government Rakhine committee and re-starting the citizenship verification exercise.

Burma: Nationality

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Myanmar government on reform of that country's 1982 Citizenship Law.

Alok Sharma: The British Government’s concerns that Burma’s 1982 citizenship law does not meet international standards is well known. It is clear that a thorough process of legislative and judicial reform is required in Burma. The new Government have formed a parliamentary committee to consider laws that require reform or repeal. That body has produced an initial list of 142 pieces of legislation to be considered. We encourage the new Government to consider the 1982 citizenship law within this exercise.

Burma: Human Rights

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on supporting an independent investigation with international experts to investigate human rights violations in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Alok Sharma: Ms Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Burma, produces regular reports which assess specifically allegations of human rights violations, particularly in Rakhine. Her role is mandated by annual UN Human Rights Council Resolutions, which the UK continues to support firmly. Additionally, UN High Commissioner Zeid presented a report to the June Human Rights Council in Geneva detailing patterns of violations and abuses committed over a prolonged period of time against the Rohingya and other minorities in BurmaWhile it is clear that violations and abuses have taken place in Rakhine State, our priority is to encourage the new civilian Government to take urgent steps to: improve security and the humanitarian situation; lift restrictions on freedom of movement; and find a sustainable solution on citizenship.

Burma: Politics and Government

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Myanmar government beginning a reconciliation process between different communities and faith groups in that country.

Alok Sharma: We are extremely concerned by the recent increase in inter-faith tensions in Burma, the violent incidents in Bago and Hpakant and anti-Muslim protests in Rakhine. Our Embassy in Rangoon has raised these concerns in detail with the Burmese authorities, stressing the need to uphold the rule of law for all communities.We are promoting peace and reconciliation efforts in Burma through a range of bilateral and multilateral initiatives in support of the peace process, such as the Peace Support Fund and the Joint Peace Fund. We are providing £19 million over five years to the Peace Support Fund and, with a £5 million contribution, we are the largest donor to the multinational Joint Peace Fund. The British Government is one of the biggest humanitarian donors in Rakhine, contributing over £18m since 2012.

John Cantlie

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help secure the return of John Cantlie to the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We do not comment publicly on our operational response to kidnappings. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to support Mr Cantlie’s family at this difficult time.

Bangladesh: Religious Freedom

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Bangladesh on tackling levels of violence against minority Hindu communities in that country.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the government of Bangladesh to put perpetrators of violence against religious minorities on trial as soon as possible.

Alok Sharma: The British Government is extremely concerned by the increase in extremist-related violence against a number of minority groups including Hindus in Bangladesh since September 2015. The former Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) most recently talked to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh about countering extremism in the margins of the G7 meeting in Japan on 27 May. The former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) raised this with Foreign Minister Ali on 5 July. The British High Commissioner regularly discusses these issues with Bangladesh government ministers.We welcome Prime Minister Hasina’s “zero tolerance” approach towards terrorism, but this must be implemented in a way that fully respects the international rights standards that Bangladesh has signed up to and which, as a member of both the Commonwealth and the UN Human Rights Council, it has pledged to uphold.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Infrastructure

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which infrastructure projects were funded through or supported by the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2016; how much funding for each such project was (a) provided through PIDG and (b) leveraged from other sources; and whether each such project is operational.

Rory Stewart: The table attached shows all PIDG supported projects. The table indicates whether the support for projects was initiated before or after 01 January 2010. As support for many projects initiated before 2010 will have continued into the timeframe set out in the question, we have also listed all projects where support was started before 01 January 2010. There is no other straightforward way to filter the data. Further information is also available online (http://data.pidg.org/) . 



PQ 43092
(Word Document, 74.73 KB)

Developing Countries: Infrastructure

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which infrastructure projects were supported by borrowing guaranteed through GuarantCo between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2016; how much was guaranteed for each such project; how much funding was leveraged from other sources for each such project; and whether each such project is operational.

Rory Stewart: The table attached shows all projects supported by GuarantCo. The table indicates whether the support for projects was initiated before or after 01 January 2010. As support for many projects initiated before 2010 will have continued into the timeframe set out in the question, we have also listed all projects where support was started before 01 January 2010. There is no other straightforward way to filter the data. Further information is also available online (http://data.pidg.org/) .



PQ 43093
(Word Document, 23.63 KB)

Department for Education

Sex and Relationship Education

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what account the Government plans to take of the recommendations of the report from the Terrence Higgins Trust, Shh.No Talking, published in July 2016, in ensuring the adoption of a sex and relationship education curriculum which includes LGBT issues for the purposes of supporting young people's long-term physical and mental health and general wellbeing.

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Terrence Higgins Trust's report Shh.No Talking, published in July 2016, what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient resources are given to local authorities and schools to ensure that sex and relationships education lessons are properly resourced and teachers are trained.

Edward Timpson: High quality sex and relationship education is a vital part of preparing young people for life in modern Britain. It should also help young people to make informed choices, stay safe and learn to respect themselves and others. Our statutory Sex and Relationship Guidance is clear that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or identity, should feel that sex and relationship education is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs. Sex and relationship education is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age appropriate manner. Decisions relating to resources and teachers’ professional development rest with schools, headteachers, and teachers themselves, as they best know the needs of their staff and pupils.

Children: Self-harm

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the levels of self-harm among (a) boys and (b) girls in secondary schools.

Edward Timpson: Self-harm occurs in relation to a wide range of personal problems, emotional turmoil and psychiatric disorders, and is a serious concern. The government does not collect central data on cases of self-harm by school-age children, but the Department of Health is currently commissioning a new national prevalence survey for children and young people’s mental health which is due to report its findings in 2018. Schools should take prompt action to deal with cases of self- harm. The Department has taken a range of actions to help them to build a whole-school approach to good mental wellbeing, which includes being informed about self-harm. We funded guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE – which covers teaching about self-harm. Training for teachers on self-harm is available through MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them. We have also revised and updated our blueprint for effective school-based counselling. However, teachers are not mental health specialists and can need specialist support in deciding how to respond. We have contributed to a £3m joint pilot between schools and specialist mental health services, to help schools draw on specialist support for their pupils; where needed.

Children: Domestic Violence

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has assessed the effect of experiencing domestic violence in the home on the educational attainment of pupils at primary and secondary school.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the number of children at primary and secondary school who have experienced domestic violence at home.

Edward Timpson: We know that educational outcomes for children in need or on child protection plans are generally worse than their peers. This is published in the annual children in need census which is matched to the national pupil database to show attainment levels at both key stage 2 and key stage 4 for children in need, including those who have experienced domestic violence in the home (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/children-in-need-census). This latest data is published on gov.uk within the ‘outcomes tables’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2014-to-2015. Domestic violence is the most common factor identified in social worker assessments of children. We must continue to improve our understanding and response to this issue. The Home Office leads a wide-ranging cross-Government programme of work to address violence against women and girls, which includes domestic violence. In addition, on 7 July DfE announced up to £2.25 million in grant funding to VCS organisations over an 18 month period to help address key priorities on safeguarding, specifically including domestic violence. While numbers of children for whom domestic violence is identified as a factor at assessment is published in the children in need census, attainment data for these children is not published and would only be available at disproportionate cost. In the year ending 31 March 2015, there were around 45,500 children aged between 5 and 10 inclusive (primary school age1) and 31,200 aged between 11 and 16 inclusive (secondary school age1), recorded as having domestic violence identified as a factor at the end of their assessment by children’s social care. The purpose of an assessment is to gather information and evidence about a child’s developmental needs and the parents’ capacity to meet these needs within the context of the wider family and community. This information should be used to inform decisions about the help needed by the child. Please note that this may not cover all children who have experienced domestic violence, but provides an estimate of those children that have been referred to children’s social care who have been assessed in the year and domestic violence was a factor identified. This information is collected within the children in need census (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/children-in-need-census). The latest information can be found in the ‘Characteristics of children in need’ statistical first release (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2014-to-2015).[1] Age calculated at 31 March 2015.

Ministry of Justice

Slavery: Sentencing

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to publish the sentencing guidelines for Part 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Sentencing Guidelines are issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, a body independent of Government.

Zero Hours Contracts

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal claims have been made under the Exclusivity Terms in Zero Hours Contracts (Redress) Regulations 2015 since those regulations came into force.

Sir Oliver Heald: There have been no claims made under the Exclusivity Terms in Zero Hours Contracts (Redress) Regulations 2015 since its introduction on 11 January 2016 to 31 March 2016. Data from April 2016 onwards will be published in due course at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

Children: Maintenance

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications have been issued in England and Wales for financial provision for the children of unmarried parents under schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 in each year since 2000.

Dr Phillip Lee: A parent is entitled to apply for an order under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 regardless of marital status. Information on marital status is not collected in relation to Schedule 1 applications. Applications can also be made by a person who is a special guardian for the child or by a person with whom the child is living under a child arrangements order. The number of all applications issued under Schedule 1 over the period is set out in the table below. YEARNo. of Applications2000556200160420025852003599200467520056772006637200770220086152009507201052920114722012504201346720145882015650

Prisons: Reform

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her plans are for prison reform.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I am committed to continuing the vital work of prison reform. We need to create safe, secure and purposeful prisons with regimes that help rehabilitate offenders so there are fewer victims in the future. This a key part of the Government’s commitment to delivering social justice for all. We already have an ambitious agenda to modernise the prison estate, improve education and empower governors, so that we can tackle issues like drugs and violence which are key to cutting reoffending and keeping staff and prisoners safe. I want to see radical reform of prisons and will set out the next steps in coming weeks.

Community Orders: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which women's centres which were providing services for women who were on licence or serving a community sentence prior to the introduction of the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme in February 2015 are no longer providing services for such women.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is not held centrally.

Reoffenders: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the causal link between a reduction in reoffending among women and the work of women's (a) centres and (b) groups.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Justice Data Lab (JDL) provides re-offending outcomes to organisations working with offenders to help them assess the impact of their work on reducing re-offending. Analysis by the JDL, looking at individuals who received support provided by 32 Women’s Centres throughout England between 2010 and 2012, noted a reduction in re‐offending of between 1 and 9 percentage points. Centre-level analyses for two Women’s Centres have shown no significant impact in reducing reoffending. The JDL has analysed a number of women-only interventions that aim to reduce reoffending. The results of these analyses are mixed, with some showing significant results and some not.

Reoffenders: Males

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many men supervised by community rehabilitation companies (CRC) following a prison sentence of less than 12 months have been recalled to prison in each (a) CRC area and (b) month since February 2015.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women supervised by community rehabilitation companies (CRC) following a prison sentence of less than 12 months have been recalled to prison in each (a) CRC area and (b) month since February 2015.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women supervised by community rehabilitation companies following a prison sentence of less than 12 months have been recalled to prison during their licence period (a) once, (b) twice, (c) three times, (d) four times and (e) five or more times.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Anyone who breaches his licence conditions is liable to be recalled to custody. Those who commit a crime while on licence face prosecution and potentially more time in prison. For serious offences, they can be held in prison on remand until trial.The figures provided in the tables below refer to offenders serving a sentence of less than 12 months who have been released and subsequently recalled. These offenders became subject to supervision and licence conditions only as a result of the commencement of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA) in February 2015. Prior to this, such offenders were released unconditionally.Throughout the period covered by the data, the number of offenders subject to the new provisions has steadily increased. This is because the ORA requirement applied only to those sentenced after commencement. In recent months, the number of ORA offenders being recalled has levelled out.Furthermore, the ORA provisions have had a disproportionate effect on the number of women recalled because evidence suggests women are more likely to receive shorter sentences.Table A gives a breakdown of the number of men and women supervised by Community Rehabilitation Companies following a prison sentence of less than 12 months who have been recalled to prison, each month since February 2015.Table ANumber of offenders recalled from licence following a sentence of less than 12 months, by gender, month and Community Rehabilitation Company area   Feb-15Mar-15Apr-15May-15Jun-15Jul-15Aug-15Sep-15Oct-15Nov-15Dec-15Females   Community Rehabilitation Companies212182538494545483848London145555351196Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Rutland00333278843Staffordshire & West Midlands03211526343Warwickshire & West Mercia00004242315Durham Tees Valley00001010010Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire01011112100Northumbria00002300202South Yorkshire00001534144West Yorkshire01210012010Cheshire & Greater Manchester00152322102Cumbria & Lancashire00000021000Merseyside00003221302Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire00002122211Essex00021011011Kent, Surrey & Sussex00012263666Norfolk & Suffolk01002110300Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset & Wiltshire00210211324Dorset, Devon & Cornwall10010531002Hampshire & Isle of Wight00101420113Thames Valley00214211001Wales02033403033Males   Community Rehabilitation Companies560158268310393323338422387380London013174653395139746765Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Rutland01182430403529362330Staffordshire & West Midlands095139202416162529Warwickshire & West Mercia0010761238121710Durham Tees Valley000471345032Humberside, Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire0041515241219241131Northumbria0203554610103South Yorkshire0161218171122223424West Yorkshire0061510677979Cheshire & Greater Manchester17262644482839353434Cumbria & Lancashire004598131171110Merseyside01598206102097Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire0681213221717282210Essex004445551292Kent, Surrey & Sussex0481224272228282516Norfolk & Suffolk013856866813Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset & Wiltshire125167171519141120Dorset, Devon & Cornwall07988161412151112Hampshire & Isle of Wight10234268642Thames Valley2337481012191113Wales03151927382820293538Table B gives a breakdown of women supervised by Community Rehabilitation Companies following a prison sentence of less than 12 months who have been recalled, broken down by the number of times they have been recalled. Table BNumber of female offenders recalled from licence by Community Rehabilitation Companies following a sentence of less than 12 months  Feb-Dec 2015  Total number of recalls368  Total number of offenders recalled310  Recalled once264  Recalled twice37  Recalled 3 times6  Recalled 4 times3  Recalled 5 or more times0  1. Recalls following a sentence of less than 12 months were only available from February 2015. 2. The number of recalls for each offender is the total number of recalls from the same sentence in the period February-December 2015  3. Some offenders may have been recalled from more than one sentence over the period. Only multiple recalls from the same sentence are counted here.

Reoffenders: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have been released from prison to no fixed address in each month since February 2015.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Probation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many breach proceedings initiated by community rehabilitation companies, the National Probation Service has rejected; and what the reasons for those rejections were.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It has not been possible to answer this question in the time allowed. I will write to the honourable member in due course.

Prison Service: Working Hours

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of prison officers who work additional shifts at other prison establishments; and whether line managers at those prison officers' main place of work are aware of additional shifts worked elsewhere.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There is a requirement that home/parent establishments maintain records of all official duties carried out by members of staff, both those duties within their home/parent establishment and within or for any other establishment.Establishments are also required to maintain records when members of staff from other establishments carryout duties within or for their establishment.Individual members of staff have a responsibility to support the above and are required inform their parent establishment of their wish/intention to work additional hours at another establishment, in advance of the hours being worked. In all circumstances records should be maintained.

Prison Service: Working Hours

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations she has received on prison officers working additional shifts in other prison establishments than those at which they are based without the knowledge of their line management.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Following an audit of the arrangements under which members of staff undertake additional hours/shifts, new arrangements and requirements were introduced that mandated the need to maintain records of all attendance arrangements, both those within parent establishments and also any additional attendance within other establishments.The above new arrangements were introduced in 2014 with the publication of Notice to Staff 43/2014.Concerns have previously been raised relating to staff undertaking additional hours/shifts within establishments other than their home/parent establishment by the Prison Officers Association. It is felt that the introduction of the above address’s this, as the arrangements ensure that information is readily available to managers to enable them to monitor the additional attendance.

Probation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of breach proceedings initiated by community rehabilitation companies resulted in a person being recalled to prison by the National Probation Service in each of the last two years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Probation Service does not authorise recall requests on behalf of the Secretary of State. Therefore, we have interpreted your question relating to breach proceedings in relation to those cases where a Community Rehabilitation Company is seeking an endorsement of a recall request by the National Probation Service before it is submitted for authorisation. This applies to cases where there is evidence of an increase in the offender’s risk of serious harm to high and the risk is not deemed to be imminent. We do not hold this information centrally and, therefore, it is not possible to provide you with the information which you have requested.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Greater London

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to work with the Mayor of London to create a chief digital officer to oversee and champion the Capital's broadband needs.

Matt Hancock: We work closely with all devolved authorities on their Broadband needs. The appointment of a chief digital officer for London is a matter for the new Mayor of London.

Electronic Commerce

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make representations to her EU counterparts and the European Commission on amending provisions related to take-down notices in the Electronic Commerce Directive 2002.

Matt Hancock: Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.

Broadband: Greater London

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's Business Broadband Review, what assessment she has made of the connection needs of businesses in London.

Matt Hancock: We recognises the importance of broadband access for British businesses in remaining globally competitive. That is why the Business Broadband Review was announced by the Business Secretary on 24 February. The Review is exploring the barriers faced by all businesses in the UK, especially SMEs, in accessing affordable, high-speed broadband.

Broadband

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the level of take-up was for superfast fixed broadband in each parliamentary constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Matt Hancock: We do not hold take-up data at constituency level. Take-up in the areas covered by the BDUK projects is available at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Hs00bNsyRV1WoOt-fow3rsNXzpcKg26AsOWvk1bvJRk/edit#gid=0 Ofcom’s, “Connected Nations 2015” publication indicates that “one in three homes had ‘superfast’ broadband with a connection of 30 Mbit/s or more" in May 2015.

Direct Selling

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle cold-callers.

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making cold-calling a criminal offence.

Matt Hancock: We are determined to tackle the scourge of nuisance calls, however a balance needs to be struck between ensuring that consumers are adequately protected and also ensuring that the legitimate direct marketing industry can continue to operate. Our efforts are focused on taking action against companies that are deliberating break the rules, rather than penalising legitimate businesses who comply with the law.

Broadband: Business

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many businesses do not have access to high speed broadband in each region of England.

Matt Hancock: Superfast broadband with speeds of at least 24Mbps is now available to 90 per cent of UK premises and we are on track for this to reach 95 per cent by December 2017. We do not hold data at regional level or specifically for businesses. We hold information for all premises at constituency level and this was deposited with the Parliamentary Library in January 2016. You can access the deposited papers database here:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2016-01-01&td=2016-01-31&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-56The Deposit reference is: DEP2016-0056

Department for Work and Pensions

Work Capability Assessment

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of proposed changes to the work related activity group on the effectiveness of the assessment process.

Penny Mordaunt: The change is not related to the work capability assessment process, which happens prior to a claimant being placed in the work related activity group. Therefore no assessment of the change on the effectiveness of the work capability assessment process has been undertaken.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Motability is required to repossess a claimant's vehicle before mandatory reconsideration or appeals related to personal independent payment claim applications.

Penny Mordaunt: Motability is an independent charitable organisation wholly responsible for the Motability scheme. It is therefore Motability’s decision whether to allow claimants to keep their vehicle during this period. Claimants are allowed to keep their vehicle for up to seven weeks following a decision that they are no longer entitled to PIP, with Mandatory Reconsiderations normally completed well before this. Most are also eligible for a £2,000 transitional support payment. Those who win their appeal can normally reapply for the scheme immediately, providing they repay this; otherwise, they can re-join after 6 months.

Fairgrounds: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to prevent accidents at funfairs and amusement parks.

Penny Mordaunt: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a dedicated National Fairground Inspection Team (NFIT) which enforces health and safety law at fairgrounds and theme parks in Great Britain. The NFIT work plan for 2106/17 targets proactive inspection of fairground rides with known problems and other areas of higher risk. NFIT inspectors also investigate accidents and complaints. They have a range of options available to hold poor performers to account, including enforcement notices and prosecution for the most serious breaches of the law. Any lessons learned from these investigations are communicated to the industry. HSE is also working with national industry bodies, which collectively make up the Amusement Devices Safety Council, to maintain and where necessary, improve health and safety standards and practices across the industry. HSE is currently working with one of those bodies, the British Association Leisure Parks Piers and Attractions, on an initiative aimed at improving risk management at theme parks.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pigmeat: China

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the most recent meeting took place between the UK Embassy in Beijing and the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration; whether approval for the export of pigs' trotters to China was discussed at that meeting; and what the outcome of that meeting was.

George Eustice: The UK Agriculture, Food and Drink Counsellor in Beijing meets with the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) on a regular basis to raise the importance of reaching agreement on the export of pigs’ trotters to China. The most recent meeting took place in the week of 11 July where agreement was reached on some additional information required by CNCA on which Defra is working as a priority.

Pigmeat: China

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reasons are for the time taken to begin trade with China in pigs' trotters since the protocol on such trade was signed in November 2015.

George Eustice: The signing of the protocol was an important stage in reaching agreement for the export of UK pigs’ trotters to China. We are now completing the additional requirements as part of the normal process of finalising the agreement with China.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the welfare of quail in the egg farming industry; and if she will extend the ban on the use of unenriched battery cages for laying hens to quail egg production.

George Eustice: The welfare of all animals, including quail raised for egg production, is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it an offence to fail to provide satisfactorily for welfare needs.The ban on conventional cages only applies to laying hens of the species Gallus gallus.

Fisheries

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the value of fishing to the UK economy in each of the last five financial years.

George Eustice: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO)’s Annual Fisheries Statistics show the contribution of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors to the UK economy over the calendar year period 2010-2014, as shown in the Table. YearContribution of the Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors to the UK economy (£ million)20105422011466201243820134542014426 Table: Contribution of the Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors to the UK economy, 2010-2014 (MMO, accessed 2016). Figures for 2015 are not yet available.

Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to provide a comprehensive government response to the Committee on Climate Change UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Report 2017; if she will meet the Committee on Climate Change to discuss the contents and recommendations of that report; if she will discuss that report with other relevant departments; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report published by the Committee on Climate Change on 12 July was commissioned by Defra to inform the Second UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Government Report that will be laid in Parliament in January 2017. The Government will subsequently respond to the new evidence in a second National Adaptation Programme report as soon as practicable thereafter. Defra ministers have met and will continue to meet with members of the Committee on Climate Change and the Adaptation Sub-Committee to discuss their work, including the Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report. Officials also meet regularly with members of the Committee as part of formal governance arrangements. Government departments provided input to the Evidence Report and will be closely involved in the preparation of the Government Report and, subsequently, the National Adaptation Programme.

Dairy Farming

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that dairy farmers receive a greater proportion of the profits of their produce compared to other elements of the supply chain.

George Eustice: The voluntary Code of Practice on contractual relationships has been extremely important for improving relationships across the dairy industry through greater transparency and predictability in milk pricing arrangements. It is for the industry to review it and check that it is working. The Code was last independently reviewed in 2014 which showed that it has been effective, but the review made some recommendations which its signatories (Dairy UK, NFU Scotland and the NFU) are taking forward. The Groceries Code Adjudicator also has an important role to play in changing behaviours and the overall culture of the sector. A review of the Grocery Code Adjudicator is due this year and we will look at how this can help the farming industry. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has established a Volatility Forum which brings together government, the farming industry and wider supply chain to catalyse knowledge exchange and long-term engagement with new risk management tools. It is exploring options such as forward contracts and use of futures markets, which could give farmers more certainty over price and share risk throughout the supply chain. Retailers have also shown their support for the British dairy industry. For example, Tesco has pledged that all own-brand yoghurt will now be made with British milk, Morrisons has launched the ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand that allows customers to pay more if they want to support British farmers and Arla has launched ‘Arla Farmers Milk’ where an additional 25p of the retail price of a four pint carton is paid to its farmers.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy that payments delivered through the Common Agricultural Policy will in future be delivered at the same level by the Government in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: Defra is currently working on a range of proposals to inform discussions about the shape of a future agricultural policy to replace the CAP and we will be involving stakeholders in those discussions.

Dog Fighting

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle and prevent organised dog fighting.

George Eustice: The Government considers that the necessary laws to tackle dog fighting are already in place. The police have specific powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to tackle dog fighting and work closely with the Special Operations Unit of the RSPCA to gather intelligence against gangs involved in organised dog fights.

Home Office

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when guidance on Part 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 was sent to (a) Chief Police Officers in England and Wales, (b) the National Crime Agency, (c) HM Inspectorate of Constabularies and the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.

Sarah Newton: Guidance on Part 1 was sent to Chief Officers of Police, the NCA, HMIC and other partners on 9 July 2015 as part of a broader Home Office circular on the Modern Slavery Act. The circular was not copied to the Independent Chief Inspector of Border and Immigration but is easily accessible on GOV.UK. All Border Force officers undergo mandatory training on identifying victims of modern slavery and have access to relevant guidance.

Social Networking

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle online abuse on social media.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 21 July 2016



The Criminal Justice Act 2015 strengthened two existing communications offences: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 which can now be used to prosecute misuse of social media. The police now have longer to investigate either offence, and the maximum penalty for the former has been increased to two years imprisonment.We have introduced a new law to make ‘revenge porn’ a specific criminal offence. Those convicted will face a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. We have already seen convictions under this legislation and will continue to monitor its effectiveness.To improve police capability, the Home Office has allocated £4.6m of the Police Transformation Fund to begin the critical work of setting up a comprehensive programme of digital transformation across policing. This money will help provide a step-change in digital capability, funding police led programmes that will work to equip forces with the tools to effectively police a digital age and protect victims of digital crime.We are also working with the College of Policing to drive improvements in police capability to investigate and prosecute online Violence against Women and Girls offences. For example, we have introduced an ‘online flag’ allowing police forces to record instances of crimes such as stalking and harassment taking place online.We are driving work through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) to keep children and young people safe online. UKCCIS brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to help to keep children and young people safe online.

HM Treasury

Employee Ownership

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employee share ownership schemes were submitted to HM Revenue and Customs' valuation check service in each tax year since 2010-11.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Custom’s Shares and Assets Valuation office have dealt with the following employee share ownership scheme valuation checks: YearTOTAL2010 – 114,0522011 – 124,0422012 – 134,4942013 – 144,8372014 – 155,3962015 – 165,721

Taxation: Self-assessment

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-assessed tax returns which included employee share ownership schemes required investigation by HM Revenue and Customs in each tax year since 2010-11.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs is unable to provide this information as it is not a requirement to report employee share ownership schemes separately on Self-Assessment Tax Returns.

Gaming Machines

Carolyn Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the effect on the gaming industry of the timing of Triennial review of stake and prizes; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Chancellor receives a large number of representations on a wide range of issues and it is not normal practice to release details of such representations.

Alternative Fuels: Excise Duties

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the Alternative Fuels Framework's (a) effectiveness and (b) criteria.

Jane Ellison: We continue to keep the Alternative Fuels Framework under review, as well as the fuel duties that fall within it.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what severance pay has been granted to the special advisers that left his Department in the last week.

Ben Gummer: Severance payments are in the process of being calculated. Details of the costs will be published in due course.

Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42548, what the cost to the public purse is of employing the 37 people referred to in that Answer.

Ben Gummer: Having re-reviewed the numbers and status of the FTA I can confirm that 28 people in IPA are employed through Fixed Term Appointments (we have now removed people who have since moved on either due to their appointment coming to an end or moving to other roles either within Cabinet Office or across wider government).These members of staff cost £1,937,818 annually out of an overall IPA budget of £14,463,994.To put this in context IPA oversees projects with whole life costs of well over £500bn.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42551, if he will take steps to improve take-up of the Accelerate programme by disabled members of staff.

Ben Gummer: If the Accelerate programme runs in future years, then the Cabinet Office will promote take-up of the programme through the intranet and will support disabled applicants through the Cabinet Office Disability Network.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of officials that will be employed by his Department in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade is currently being established. This requires machinery of government changes which are ongoing; it is too early to say the exact number of officials that will be employed in the new Department. We will inform the House in due course.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent GPs were employed in Halton Clinical Commissioning Group area in each year since 2012.

David Mowat: Information is not available in the format requested. The data that is available is shown in the following table. Total Full Time Equivalent general practitioners (GPs) in selected area in England: 2012-2015full time equivalents  20122013201420151Total GPs Halton And St Helens PCT....NHS Halton CCG...72NHS St Helens CCG...104  Total GPs (excluding locums)Halton And St Helens PCT183...NHS Halton CCG.667471NHS St Helens CCG.107118103  Total GPs (excluding retainers, registrars and locums)   Halton And St Helens PCT177...NHS Halton CCG.667165NHS St Helens CCG.1071111011From 2015 the primary data source of these statistics changed to the Workforce Minimum Dataset (wMDS). Prior to this the primary source was the NHIAS (Exeter) payments system. More information on the data sources used in this publication can be found in the publication bulletin.   Notes:Data as at 30 September each year.GP workforce figures are not available by constituency. Halton constituency is serviced by Halton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Prior to the creation of CCGs, Halton constituency was contained within and serviced by Halton and St Helens Primary Care Trust (PCT).St Helens CCG has been provided in the figures for 2013, 2014 and 2015 for the purposes of comparability with previous years data.'.' denotes not applicable Data Quality:The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source:The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.